


The First Notch

by cheddarbug



Series: How the Mighty Fall [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Blow Jobs, Sneaking Out, dirty inns, golden locks, notches in bedposts, tattered cloaks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 13:14:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12841926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheddarbug/pseuds/cheddarbug





	The First Notch

Carine paced in the hall for several minutes, trying to understand what brought her here to begin with since they had departed on such bad terms just the day before. She had just flown in from Ishgard, a trip she had made in the attempt to set her troubled mind at ease by proving to herself that she didn’t actually _need_ Nero to satisfy her base desires, but that had backfired in the worst of ways.

First, she had run to Ser Aymeric when the Garlean had specifically told her not to run to Ishgard in the first place. Apparently Nero wasn’t one to share, but it wasn’t as though Carine was some object to be possessed so naturally she went where she wanted to go. She was the Warrior of Light after all.

Second, Aymeric had been more than pleased to see her. If Carine were a decent woman, she would have thoroughly enjoyed being showered in his sweet gentle kisses and caved to his loving touch. How many women would wish to be where she stood as he kissed her lips and stroked her face? Too many, if you asked her. He was tall, handsome, commanding, a leader, and kind beyond words. The perfect gentleman, the perfect partner, the perfect man.

Which brought her to point number three. Carine _wasn’t_ a decent woman. Not anymore. Her life as the Warrior of Light had finally taken its toll on her. She was no longer the bright-eyed adventurer with the world at her feet. She was no longer the foolish girl whose sights were always set upon tomorrow. No, this life had given her everything just to take everything away. It had given her Minfilia and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, but it had taken them from her just as quickly as they had been gifted and even though most of them had found their way back to her, they weren’t the same people they had been before. This life had also given her Haurchefant, the love of her life, her rock and her foundation. He had been her everything, her hope, her future, and now? Now he was gone, buried beneath snow and ice in the one place that needed his vibrance and life.

There was only so much that one could lose before they began losing pieces of themselves too, and Carine had lost that love of life. Haurchefant would be disappointed in her, that she knew, but how could she smile when the future she had looked so dim? Sure, she still had the desire to save this world, still had the desire to live in it, but she knew that there wasn’t a happy ending for her, not in this lifetime.

Carine shoved her hands into her coat pockets, fingers hitting the small box that she had hidden there since Aymeric had presented it to her. Life had offered her yet another gift, another sliver of hope for a future with someone that would love and care for her for all of her days, but life had taught her well with only man she had ever loved. Though this tiny box contained just a little key to the Elezen’s estate in Foundation, it held the promise that one day she would have a place to call home.

And life just wasn’t fair enough to allow her to make that kind of promise.

As she resolved herself, Carine rapped her knuckles lightly on the door and waited. She held her breath for what seemed like several minutes, straining her ears to hear any movement on the other side of the door. Even though the entire hall was silent, she couldn’t hear anything. The Wildwood Elezen was ready to turn around and leave, scolding herself for being foolish enough to come to _his_ room in the dead of night when he hadn’t even wanted her the day before.

Just as she turned to leave, the door finally clicked and cracked open just enough for her to see the suspicious eyes of the former Garlean general. His hair wasn’t in its usual slicked back position; the golden locks fell haphazardly in front of his face and to the sides, revealing that he very well may have been asleep before she decided to wake him. His icy eyes glared in her direction as he wrapped his golden robe around him and exited the dark room, closing the door behind him.

“ _What are you doing here?_ ” he whispered angrily, his eyes darting up and down the hall. “Are you _mad?_ ”

Carine opened her mouth to answer him, but the truth was, she didn’t have one. Nothing that would provoke him into letting her into his room and having his way with her to help her think straight again at least. “Let me in,” she finally said, reaching for the  door. Quickly, the man swatted her hand away and pointed a finger at her.

“I might be a prisoner here, but I have been allowed my own private quarters and I wish to keep them that way,” he snapped. “Had I known you would go to these lengths...”

“Fine, there’s an inn just at the head of the market place here in Mor Dhona. I’ll grab a room and we can...conduct our business there,” she replied. By the Fury, what had gotten into her? Why was she turning to this desperation?

Nero’s eyes narrowed as he held up his wrist, flashing a bit of magitek that Cid had designed to use not long after his former friend had willingly joined forces with them. “Do you know what this is? A tracker Cid designed at the behest of those Scions. If I leave this building and go anywhere other than his workshop, he is going to be made aware rather quickly.”

Carine was tired of this go around. She rolled her eyes and leaned in close to him, brushing her lips against his ear and whispering what she hoped was the most seductive thing that the Garlean had ever heard in his life.

“If I know you, Nero, and I think I do, you have already figured out how to take that off without Cid being none the wiser, or have reprogrammed it in some way that he wouldn’t be alerted at all. You’re a brilliant man, I’m more than confident in your ability to outsmart Cid at his own invention.”

With those words hanging between them and a gentle, yet firm nip on his ear, Carine sauntered off down the hall, hoping that he wouldn’t be long in following.

**\---------------**

Carine lay upon the bed with her hands behind her head as she waited. The mattress was hard, firm with Chocobo feathers and straw that made it lumpy and rather uncomfortable while the blankets were made from quite possibly the itchiest wool in all of Eorzea. There wasn’t much in the room to look at, just a couple of chairs and a tiny square table with an empty vase in one corner, and a large scenic painting of Mor Dhona on the other. The white paint on the wooden walls was chipping and falling off, as was the paint on the headboard of the bed.

This was definitely a room where business such as what she wanted would be conducted. No one in their right mind would actually stay in this room to sleep in it, of that the Warrior of Light was sure. On the bright side, at least there were no rodents or bugs running around.

The clerk that manned the desk on the main floor of the inn had been rather surprised by her entrance, and more than a little curious as to why the Warrior of Light was requesting a room in the dead of night in Mor Dhona of all places. A heavy pouch of gold with the promise of more sated that curiosity and made sure that they wouldn’t bother spreading any gossip that might upset her. Sometimes, it was good to be admired and feared.

She wasn’t sure how long she waited in the chilly, dark room, her mind wandering over everything she knew would be coming up that needed her attention. First, there was Omega they had to find. Nero wanted to configure the machine to be used to destroy that _thing_ Ilberd had turned himself into, but knowing him there was always something else that he would want it for. They had known about its existence ever since Nero had brought it up (before being brought in as a probationary prisoner), and he had known of it longer than that. So far, the Imperials hadn’t been aware of where exactly the machine was located whereas Nero _did_. Digging around would certainly bring the attention of the Imperial soldiers that were excavating the area, so Cid and the other Scions agreed it would be best to wait until they were ready to meet those forces.

After that? Well, she was sure something would come up. It most likely seemed that Doma would need the aid of the Warrior of Light to get out from under the Empire’s grasp. Maybe then, Carine would be able to rid her mind and body of the Garlean she was more than eager to bed at this very moment. She highly doubted that the distance and time apart from him would make her heart grow fonder.

A slight rap on the door jolted her out of her thoughts, making her heart thump loudly within her chest. The Wildwood looked outside the window to make sure that dawn was not already upon them and let out a sigh when she realized that she had only been within the room for a couple hours at the most. Still, her heart thudded as she quietly walked to the door and cracked it open to reveal a hooded figure.

Carine nearly jumped in shock when the figure lifted the ragged grey hood from his head, revealing the golden locks of hair she so longed to run her fingers through. It was strange seeing Nero wearing something so drab in comparison to his usual, extravagant wear. She barely had time to move out of the way before the Garlean pushed her in, quickly closing the wooden door behind him.

“You actually came, I was beginning to wonder,” she grumbled, though inside she was practically singing.

“Well you made it rather difficult to refuse you,” he shook his head, pulling off the tattered cloak that was pulled about him. “It seems if I am not careful, you could possibly take things too far and start requesting my services in broad daylight for everyone to see.”

Carine shrugged. She knew what she wanted and when she wanted it, it wasn’t as though he were different from her in that regard. Her eyes followed him as he examined the room with a look of disgust. Somehow, him being uncomfortable with this situation made the event that much more worth it, so she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, a deliberate smirk upon her face.

“Not up to par?”

“Is this really the best you could do? I would have assumed you would offer your own quarters rather than this...cesspool,” he complained, carefully sitting himself on one of the wooden chairs by the table.

She balked at that, turning her face so he couldn’t see her reaction to use as fodder later on. There were too many things in her room, too many memories of Haurchefant that she had taken from Camp Dragonhead to remember him by to allow anyone, _especially_ Nero, in her own quarters. The last thing she wanted was to allow this man in on such an intimate part of her life, a part of her pain that he could potentially use as a weapon against her.

“I have my reasons,” she explained, gathering up her courage and facing him. “My entire life is out on display for the world to see. Everyone bears witness to my successes and my failures. Perhaps I need a private place that no one sees, hm?”

Nero narrowed his eyes at the woman before his lips curled into a cruel smile. “I see,” he said simply, leaning back in the chair until it creaked and stretching his long legs out before him. “And this Elezen king of yours...I’m sorry, _ruler..._ ”

“Aymeric isn’t something for you to worry about,” she replied coldly.

“He is if I have to _share_.”

“Well, you don’t. Satisfied?” Carine growled, turning her face to the window and purposefully leaving out the information about the key in her pocket that was in her personal quarters at the moment.

“Hardly,” came his reply, though he didn’t ask any further questions.

They sat in silence, neither of them making a move towards the other for what seemed like an eternity. Carine would try to look at anything other than him, though when their eyes met, she was well aware that he was watching her. She eventually made her way to the bed, sitting on the hard, lumpy mattress and thrumming her fingers against the blankets hoping that he would just take her already.

“I didn’t realize I would be wasting valuable sleep to come and sit in this heap in silence with you,” he said after a few minutes, the look on his face telling her he was quite ready to leave. “What exactly was this business we were going to be conducting? Playing coy? I am not a fan of these chasing games.”

“Funny, because I remember that you used to stalk every move I made against the Empire,” she retorted, chuckling at her own joke. Nero did not find it as funny, however.

“That was for a job. The job itself was not pleasurable,” he replied, lazily waving an arm in the air. “I _did_ enjoy the shows you put on though. Such a challenge, such a mystery. Until recently, that had been all part of your allure however, now it seems that you are quite the beggar.”

It was Carine’s turn to narrow her eyes at him. “You could just get on with this then. Get it over with?”

“Last I checked, it was _you_ that invited me into this rat hole. Why aren’t _you_ the one getting on with it?” he shot back, gifting her with a half smile that very nearly melted her from within. Since when did he have that ability? And why _wasn’t_ she the one initiating this...whatever this was? What would she even do? How?

All these thoughts ran through her head while he watched her with growing fascination. He _liked_ her being uncomfortable in front of him, weak, insecure. It gave him a power trip that she didn’t want him on. And it gave her an idea. With pure determination and a goal in mind to keep herself in control of the situation, Carine stood from the bed and dropped to her knees in front of the cocky bastard. Sure, this wouldn’t satisfy her own needs, but it would keep her collected and in control in front of him, and that is what mattered to her.

“Stand up,” she ordered him, her voice cold and commanding as her eyes raked up his body. As much as she longed to see it, she knew she could do without it for now. Nero complied to her demands, standing as though he knew exactly what she had planned, but not bothering to follow through with all the steps that would lead her to her goal. She sighed, her frustration growing within her as she pulled down the cotton sleeping trousers he was wearing, her eyes widening in surprise at his lack of smallclothes as his half-hard member sprang free of its confines.

“As you command, _Carine_ ,” he purred, his hands running through her silvery hair. He made no move to rush her, though something about the way he said her name drove her wild beyond reason. She peered up at him, bright lilac eyes shining in the dim light of the moon through the window as she wrapped her fingers around him, watching his throat bob as he swallowed hard at her gentle touch. Carine licked her lips before nipping at the tender ‘v’ leading her to the object of her desire, grinning as he hissed at the sensation.

Oh, she would most _certainly_ be enjoying herself tonight.


End file.
